5 min read ⌚ 

If I Can Do It, You Can Do It

If you are not a person who likes playing by the rules, then you are in the right place.

In our summary of “How to Win at the Sport of Business,” we give you an overview of the unconventional advice on surviving and thriving in the business world that Marc Cuban offers.

So, read on.

Who Should Read “How to Win at the Sport of Business”? and Why?

Have you ever heard of Mark Cuban?

Even if you have not, you have surely heard about MicroSolutions and Broadcast.com, two companies to which he is the founder of.

Mark Cuban started small, and turned both businesses into multi-million dollar enterprises, after which he became the owner of an NBA team.

Sounds unattainable?

It is not!

In his book “How to Win at the Sport of Business,” which is a collection of posts from the author’s blog, Cuban gives you his formula for success. He writes about winning, and why it is a good thing, about the need to develop the skills, and the ways you can get ahead of your rivals.

We recommend this read to all aspiring entrepreneurs, passionate people who want to capitalize on their passion, and business people who never liked playing by the rules.

About Marc Cuban

Mark Cuban is the founder of MicroSolutions, which he later sold, and to Broadcast.com. He later became the owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise and climbed his way toward becoming one of the wealthiest business people in history.

“How to Win at the Sport of Business Summary”

At the age of 24, Mark Cuban decided to move to Dallas.

Then, he was looking for three things: women, sunshine, and job opportunities.

He did not have much: a few polyester suits and a broken down car. He began sleeping on the floor of the tiny apartment of one of his acquaintances.

He worked in several different places, which he considered as opportunities to learn.

That was what Cuban did right from the start – he had the right mindset.

Many people are eager to find the right job at the very beginning of their career, right after college, but that is not necessarily the best way to begin.

In fact, it might be smarter to work different temporary jobs which will allow you to develop a variety of skills.

Working a range of jobs teaches you another thing as well: the methods you see other people using, may not be suitable for you. Additionally, you learn things about yourself, your ambitions and capabilities, and you can see all the mistakes businesses can make before starting your own company.

When Cuban realized that his bosses were not open to listening to the ideas of their workers, he decided that that not be the place where he could work any longer.

So, he left and soon founded MicroSolutions, his own company which sold configured computers and PC software.

Of course, his company was not without its share of problems, but Cuban succeeded to grow it into a stable company that he eventually sold for $6 million.

When you are just starting out in the world of business, you may sometimes feel that your business will be small forever.

In those moments, do not give up.

Just as Cuban showed, all businesses can end up becoming big.

Also, if you succeed, do not stop at your first success.

Instead, reinvest the money into a new business which you are even more passionate about.

If you show an interest in something and have enough money, then what keeps you from investing in it?

Key Lessons from “How to Win at the Sport of Business”

1.      Never Stop Learning
2.      Work Hard and Pick the Right Opportunities
3.      Hire the Right People

Never Stop Learning

There is no end to learning, so never stop educating yourself.

You can do this by reading books and articles on the topics you are interested in. Stay up to date with the trends, and take advantage of the vast amount of reading material you have access to.

Work Hard and Pick the Right Opportunities

If you want to control every aspect of your business, let us just break it to you-you will fail at it.

There are so many unpredictable variables in business, and there is just no way to control everything.

What you can do is to work hard.

In fact, if you want your business to succeed, you have to work hard, day and night, toward achieving your objectives. Work with your team and your customers during the day, and prepare for days to come at night.

A good work schedule and ethics is not everything you need for success. You also have to take the right opportunities.

Know that you cannot take each opportunity that comes your way since the dispersed focus will take your attention off your core goals.

Hire the Right People

It is not enough just to be passionate about your business; you also have to surround yourself with people who trust your vision as well.

If your team does not love what you all do, they will have a hard time doing all the hard work that is awaiting them.

So, make sure you hire people who are as motivated and ambitious as you are.

Like this summary? We’d Like to invite you to download our free 12 min app, for more amazing summaries and audiobooks.

“How to Win at the Sport of Business” Quotes

Our Critical Review

In his book “How to Win at the Sport of Business,” Marc Cuban gives his knowledge from the business world on a silver platter. He serves his advice connecting it to his personal experiences, which makes the recommendations very credible. So, be sure to take into account all of his valuable tips on making your business a great success.

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.